This is how to care for
minor abrasions caused by sliding on asphalt and concrete at home.
Your disclaimer is as follows: I am not a doctor, nor a medical practioner. Use this guide at your own risk, and seek medical help if you feel unreasonable levels of pain or discomfort, or see signs of wound infection.
That said, the first thing you need to do is sanitise your wound as soon as possible to avoid infection.
The easiest way to do this would involve using soap and water. Try not to put the soap directly on the wound, wash the edges of the wound with soap and "flush" the surface of the wound with clean water.
If you have asphalt embedded in the skin, you have to get it out or your skin will experience the "tattoo" effect.
This method for cleansing the skin will probably hurt like hell due to your nerve ends being exposed, but soap and water will probably be the thing you will have earliest access to.
If possible, I recommend a benzalkonium choride based no-rinse cleanser. Relatively pain-free.
Pat your wound dry with a gauze pad.
There are a few products out there that will make your abrasion experience as painless as possible.
You can go ahead and use gauze because it is cheap, but it will take forever and you will have to change it several times a day, it will leak all over your bed and clothes, then when it dries up you will feel sorry--the list goes on and on.
I have tried the following products with road rash:
1. Tegaderm
It's a transparent plastic film, with the 3M logo it kinda reminds me of Scotch tape.
After using it, I realised that it sucks like Scotch tape too. I could hardly get it to stick right, and it would start leaking after like 3 days. For as much as I paid for it, I expected a little more out of it. At least it didn't hurt to take off, because it already had fallen halfway off when it was time to change.
2. Johnson and Johnson Advanced Healing
Heck yes. This stuff is the gospel. I put it on, forgot about it, and peeled it off a week later.
It is translucent compared to Tegaderm, thicker, and feels more like a second skin, rather than a piece of plastic on your arm.
Not to mention it was cheaper!
This product worked so well that I didn't get the chance to test out the Second Skin for you guys.
Note that the above products adhere to your skin and act as a "Second Skin," creating a "micro-moist" environment, helping your wound breathe and stay moist, while keeping bacteria out. Thus they do not require any kind of ointment.
The traditional gauze pad does the opposite, and require you to use topical ointments, like bactricin.
Here are some links to other good articles:
http://www.veshman.com/mt/archives/000025.php
http://www.velonews.com/train/articles/3909.0.html
HOW-TO: Care for MINOR Road-Rash at home (with Graphic Pics sorta NSFW)
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